Morgan offers insight on long tenure in service to city

After long tenure in service to the city spanning two years as a Planning Commissioner and 16 years on City Council, Steven Morgan is entering a new chapter in local politics.

By Jack Barnwelljbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

After long tenure in service to the city spanning two years as a Planning Commissioner and 16 years on City Council, Steven Morgan is entering a new chapter in local politics.Morgan was recently elected as a board member for the Inyokern Airport's board of directors as he prepares to step down from the City Council when the new members are sworn in on Dec. 5.In all those years working for the city, it has been about the hard effort and ability to put effort into city matters even when they were widely criticized by the public.He has served through four terms, including two stints as Ridgecrest's mayor, has sat on virtually every council committee at one time or another and has been deeply involved with regional associations like Kern Council of Governments and the West Mojave Plan.He is also engaged in community organizations, such as the Lion's Club, Knights of Columbus and with the Women's Shelter.Above all this, Morgan has a full time job as a air traffic controller at China Lake NAWS.“I've always been a person who if I'm going to make comment that things are not going the way they should be, that I'm going to become involved in the process,” Morgan said.He actively took notice of city policies following his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1989, seeing things that could be improved, and it eventually led to his decision to run for a council seat in 1994.“It just was a natural progression for me,” Morgan said.Over the years Morgan has earned a reputation for being either straightforward and honest or blunt and angry, depending on a person’s perceptions, even during the 1994 elections.“The city engineer at the time, Ken Kelley, told me he couldn't vote for me because I always seemed too angry in the candidate forums,” Morgan said.Morgan said this has not changed in the last 18 years.“I'm still the same hard-charging, lay it on the line, mean-what-you-say and say-what-you-mean person I was then,” Morgan said.Planning Commission, City Council, Hard workWork and effort is something Morgan said has always been a strong aspect in his life.“Because I impressed William Lalor, who got elected that year, he appointed me to the planning commission,” Morgan said. “He said I think you are a person that will do the work.”The effort behind that earned him a reputation for putting the work in, culminating in his election in 1996.“It's the way I'm wired,” he said. “It's what I've done for 16 years and I haven't done it perfectly.”Morgan said he isn't apologetic for any of the decisions he has made along with other council members over the years that required amendments or tweaks to make them work properly.“It is part of being a councilman,” he said. “You're not making decisions on what you think is best, you're making decisions on what your perception of the general needs and wants.”One of those stumbling blocks was the enduring trash saga that consumed Ridgecrest for nearly three years, including while he was mayor from 2008 t0 2010. When Ridgecrest was slammed with penalties by the then-California Integrated Waste Management Board (today CalRecycle) for what it perceived the city as failing to meet specific state standards.“It's unfortunate that the general public disagreed with mandatory collection, but we were under a strong arm from the state and it was what the public needed,” Morgan said.The council's decision to impose the policy drew sharp criticism from the public — including a failed recall attempt — but Morgan said the city eventually got it right with its current system and removed pressure from the state.Other heavily criticized decisions have yielded more positive outcomes for the city. “I think the most visible for the public would be the business park,” Morgan said. “We went to DC, Harvey Rose, Duke Martin and I, and we were heavily criticized for that.”The trip, which cost $15,000, led to securing a federal grant and subsequently a matching funds grant from the state to develop the business park area on China Lake Boulevard.“Look at what is now. It's not completed by any stretch of the imagination but it's shining example of what you can achieve if you put your heart and mind and soul to be successful,” Morgan said.Morgan has also served two terms as chairman of KernCOG and three terms as its vice chair, helped secure funding for West Ridgecrest Boulevard's reconstruction to Mahan Road in 2014, involvement with the Defense Alliance and the League of California Cities.Council duties have meant some sacrifices for Morgan including juggling around his work and personal schedule, spending 25 minimum a week working with city business, committee meetings and other council duties.“I have moved vacations around to do work on the city council, I have missed anniversaries, birthdays, my daughter's birthday,” he said. “I've had to do things on different days and I just considered it to be part of the work that needed to be done.”Teamwork CountsMorgan boiled everything down to teamwork, whether among the council or out in the public.“It's not always simple, not always easy and sometimes very complicated but always remembering the ultimate goal was the success of the team,” Morgan said.People would always be there to criticize the council but he has maintained if he achieved two things throughout his service, he was content.The first was that if he could help 51 percent of the population then he had done his job.“The second thing is I've stayed true to saying what I mean and mean what I'm saying,” Morgan said.While some of his comments have drawn sharp criticism, he has made no apologies for it. “There's this unspoken rule apparently where if you're a political figure you're supposed to sit back and let people beat on you to death and not say anything,” he said. “Not me. I've called people out a lot and when they step up to edge of being involved and back down, I really call them out.”He said getting involvement was what garners the community's respect.“I think that respect is earned when you actually do the work at being a part of the process,” he said.It's one of proudest memories, especially when it came to interacting with city staff over the years“One of the sad things as an elected official is you have to work to gain the trust of the city employee,” he said. “I don't think I've ever had a problem with that.”Now with a new city council coming in with fresh ideas and a fresh start, he said it was a good thing.“I will support them just like the members of the public have supported me as I have been elected,” he said.The new council will have its challenges, he said, including ensuring the final stretch of the Walmart supercenter was complete, the widening of Downs Street and keeping an eye on the bigger picture.Morgan in the mean time will assume his duties as a new board member on the Indian Wells Valley Airport Board of Directors in December.“I'm going to give that my hardest work and best effort, and work with the folks to be successful with the UAS programs in Inyokern,” he said. “I think that's a very neat, great fit for us.”But he will be leaving behind a legacy and foundation built on his years of hard work and overcoming challenges, even though he dismissed it as such.“How many stay the course, fight the fight to do the best to make things right?” he said. “Those are the people that are memorable.”Morgan, however, doesn't think he will be as memorable, but is proud he has given it is all and is satisfied with that.“If you want to call it a legacy, that's it: always working and never holding back,” Morgan said.

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